Sorcerers, witchers, witches, heretics, psychics - everything is "from the evil one"! At least that's what the Christian Church says. For the holy fathers, all people with supernatural abilities were presented as children of the devil. It was believed (and is considered!) That they are all wicked, and if a person touched magic, after death he will certainly go to hell. Witches, sorcerers and other brethren can only send pains, weaknesses and evil eyes to the Orthodox. But is there really a difference or is it all “smeared with one world”?
We see at the root
There will be no division into black and white in the article. I will not assure you that witches are white and fluffy creatures, and witches are those caricatured women with cats, warts and slanting eyes. There will be only reflections. And they will begin with a conversation about our great and mighty language.
If you take up etymological dictionaries, it turns out that the witch is from the old word "to know", that is, to see, to know. Sages of all sexes are knowledgeable people. What could they know? The world around us, first of all. Herbs, signs, habits of animals and birds, movements of the human soul.
And where did the word "conjure" come from? The exact source is unknown. Comparative linguistic analysis tells only about related words in other languages. The word is associated with "noise", "quarrel", "language" and "appeal". The closest "relative" in meaning is the Greek καλέω (to call, to call). If we start from the origin, it turns out that the witch is a woman who beckons or summons something (or someone).
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By modern standards, our ancestors were still sexists. In folk tales, beliefs and other cultural material, people with remarkable abilities are often encountered. The attitude towards them, of course, was different. Basically, they were afraid of such people and tried not to lodge with them (well, how would he be offended by something and jinx it, and then turn every full moon into a log?). But at the same time, they deeply respected and ran for all sorts of advice, or if they got sick.
At the same time, only men were sorcerers in the popular mind. "Sorceresses" appeared much later, and even those - in literature. The people were in no hurry to name their relatives and friends in a new way. At the same time, we have no witcher men (we have our Polish neighbors, but they are not us). If a wise old man flickers in beliefs, then he is a "witch" or "prophet".
It turns out that there is still a difference, and a big one. Sorcerers are those who wield spells. They can call, whisper, command, control with words both a person and parts of his body and the forces of nature. Take away from the sorcerer his gift of a spellcaster - and nothing remains. Only a pretentious person.
Witches are a different matter. They can be evil or kind, but in reality they are rarely divided into such categories. The witch is just the one who knows. Of course, she can fulfill the function of a sorceress. Whispering water, blocking blood, sending illness, causing rain … But only her powers cannot be taken away, because they are based on a broader view of the world. Even if she cannot command and conjure, her wisdom cannot be taken away.
Can a witch "retrain" into a witch? Not. Witchcraft is a hereditary and innate thing. And you can learn the right words on occasion. But it's one thing to use, and quite another to understand.
Natalia Illarionova